1. Field of the Invention
The invention(s) relates to gun ports, and in particular to gun ports with blast-resistant doors and/or to gun ports with doors that slide or roll horizontally into and out of a closed position over a gun port opening, useful in defense of armored vehicles, armored buildings, and other installations.
2. Description of the Related Art
Gun ports are well known in the art for both military and non-military application. A gun port permits discharge of a fire arm through an opening defined within the gun port whenever the gun port is in an open position. The gun port secures the port against passage of a bullet or other unwanted object or fluid whenever the gun port is in a closed position. Typically gun ports include a door as a closure shield secured on either an interior or exterior surface of a support apparatus such as an exterior wall of an armored vehicle or the exterior wall of a building. The door is often actuated by an operator of the gun port standing or sitting next to an interior surface of the support apparatus, such as inside the armored vehicle or building. Examples of the prior art in gun ports are provided by U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,771,672; 4,771,673; and 6,425,311. In all three of these examples, the door consists of a single plate of metal. The first example discloses a door (or “closure plate”) that is a single plate that is slid upward to open, and downward to close. The second example discloses a door (or “closure”) that is a single plate that is pivoted inward and downward to open, and upward and outward to close. The third example discloses a door (or “closure shield”) that is a single plate mounted on the outside of the exterior wall and that rotates parallel to the wall in a first rotational direction to open, and in the reverse direction to close.
The prior art does not disclose gun ports designed to withstand explosive blasts from military or terrorist threats. What are needed are gun ports that can withstand explosive blasts, and at the same time are constructed of preassembled subassemblies that enable easy installation and replacement.